Without a local search-optimized content strategy for lawyers, your law firm may not be getting the leads it could (and should) be. Localized content is critical for attorneys. Most people expect to be able to find an attorney close to them who can offer insightful legal solutions to their problems. Your practice services a local community, but in order for those individuals to know you’re there, you must communicate that information.
Localizing your content helps to show the search engines where you provide services. It also allows those who are within your local area to find your name when they search for an attorney near them. Optimized written content is critical to not only being found by your prospective clients, but also building your online presence.
Understanding Local SEO
Before diving into how to create a local search-optimized content strategy for lawyers, you have to know what local SEO is. Local SEO helps law practices become visible in the local search results on search engines like Google.
Specifically, when you use geographic terms in your content, on your website, and with your keywords, it helps Google to recognize the local area you serve. When a person within that area Googles a service you offer in that area or close to them, your listing may appear in the Map Pack, a listing of three providers close to that searcher.
To rank in these local search rankings, you need to:
- Establish a Google Business Profile
- Utilize on-page signals with your geolocation
- Have positive online reviews
- Create backlinks
- Ensure NAP citations are accurate
Building a Local Search-Optimized Content Strategy for Lawyers
To achieve these goals, you’ll need to work through several steps. The types of optimizations you utilize depend greatly on the specific status of your site right now. Let’s run through the most important factors for building a local keyword strategy for your law practice.
Website content optimization
Your first step is to create a website that supports a local SEO strategy. This includes:
- Utilizing localized keywords and phrases: This includes using your city and service area geos, as well as terms that locals use to refer to the city.
- Incorporate local information: Structure your content so that it includes some local information and content. This may include, for example, information about where your office is located.
- Update your meta: Meta tags and descriptions need to have location-based keywords in them. Narrow this down to those areas you serve but also factor in competitiveness.
- Content: Write the content on your law firm pages so that it is something the local community can understand. Use some local lingo in it if possible.
The same steps are necessary when it comes to creating content for your blog. Create content that’s related to your local area, such as including a story about a recent car accident or construction site accident that happened nearby if you are a personal injury attorney. Consider local events, news, and trends.
Directory listing optimization
Attorney legal directories are an important tool to use for ranking and backlinks. If you are using them, you need to consider the following:
- Get listed: Ensure you are in most of the legal directories that apply to your business and practice
- NAP: Ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are always exactly the same from one listing to the next, as that’s how Google connects them.
- Encourage reviews: These should be on the directory listings from those you’ve helped.
Google Business Profile optimization
One of the most important components of local search-optimized content strategies for lawyers is completing your Google Business Profile. It’s a free service provided by Google that is critical to building your local presence. There are several steps to take to optimize your profile to get targeted results:
- Fill it out: Claim your profile and then complete all sections of it. Include keywords related to your business services in a natural way.
- Business information: Make sure your hours of service, contact information, and firm’s address are accurate.
- Personalize it: This is an important component of any marketing campaign. Use engaging photos with your actual office in them, incorporate attorney photos, and answer questions people ask. Request and respond to customer reviews on your profile.
Social media localization
Social media can help to build your local strategy as well. It’s one way to create a local presence within your community, which can also help you rank. Social media content helps people to recognize your name and logo, allowing your local community to consistently remember who you are. That helps them to think of your firm when they have a legal problem they know you can help them solve. To do this, focus on these areas:
- Local posts: Create social media posts that have a local focus. Incorporate what’s happening in the community into posts.
- Engage: Talk to those who respond or comment on your posts. Interact within the community forums and groups with your business page.
- Play a role in your community: It’s also beneficial to be active in supporting your community. That includes promoting local events or building partnerships with local businesses, schools, sports programs, or other organizations.
Online advertising localization
Another core component of your local search-optimized content strategy is to utilize local content in your online paid advertising. When creating content for a Google Ad campaign, for example, ensure you are speaking to your local audience. Consider these tips for creating ad campaign content with a local focus:
- Ad copy: Incorporate local information and terms and go into your ad company.
- Use ad extensions: Consider the use of ad extensions as a way to build up your local credibility within your community.
- Phone number: Instead of a toll-free number, use a local phone number in your ads. That helps pinpoint your location even more.
Measuring Success of Your Local Seach-Optimized Content Strategy for Lawyers
Once you have a local strategy in place, the next steps are to put it into place and start measuring how successful it is. It is not ideal to just wait for leads to come in and hope for the best. Instead, have a plan in place that allows you to measure how well the campaign is doing. You may need to tweak it from time to time.
Track local search rankings and website analytics to get a better feel for what is working. You should start to see some movement within weeks, or you may need to make additional updates.
Also, monitor your customer engagement and conversion rates. This is what helps to show that your efforts are working and that your ads and business name are getting in front of the prospective clients you want to work with going forward.
It is likely that you will need to adjust and update your strategy over time. Not only is this because you need to “get it right” but your competitors will also be making changes to update their own strategy against yours. Use performance metrics to help you make those decisions.
Local Search Optimized Content Gets Leads for Attorneys
When you are working to build your practice’s local rankings so that more of the people who are most likely to find you can see your availability, it’s critical to focus on the following:
- Building out your website optimization with a local focus
- Creating directory listings that are optimized
- Using your Google Business Profile to reach local customers
- Build a social media campaign that also has a local focus
- Utilizing online advertising methods with a local focus
If that sounds like a lot of work, it can be. Depending on where you are right now, you may find that there are numerous things to do to get your site ranking locally.
Surefire Local can help you.
We work with small businesses to create localized online marketing that builds local signals across numerous platforms and profiles. That helps your ideal clients find you. When you choose to work with our team, you gain an all-in-one marketing platform for your local business that features:
- Website and local SEO optimization using geo-tagged content for your blog, website, and social media
- Online review management to help you build positive, local reviews
- Directory management so you can get your directory listings set up and build leads for your business
- Content marketing that incorporates locally targeted and relevant content to your profiles, directories, and social media
- Local online advertising: Create online ads with a local focus that gets the attention of the search engines and the prospective clients you want
- Analytics and reporting allow you to always know how well your campaign is going and make changes to keep your law firm ahead of the competition.
- Educational resources are available including blogs and webinars to give you the information and support you need to build out your strategy.
When you are ready to reach your target clients, connect with our team to create a local search-optimized content strategy for lawyers. You can learn more about the entire process through our Surefire Local demo.